Now that J.J. Abrams is about to mark Star Wars with his re-boot version, it is interesting to note that LOST had many Star Wars references and common themes, including Hurley trying to write from memory the original film during his time travel back to 1974.
PARENTAL ISSUES
LOST's main characters were filled with parental issues. Locke was told by his mother that his father was dead. He later learned that Cooper was alive and stole a body part from him. Luke thought his father was also dead. He later learned that Darth Vader was his father, and during a battle lost his hand by laser sword.
Jack and Claire also had father issues. Jack could not get along with Christian, and Christian was not there for Claire when she was growing up in Australia. Luke and Leia were also unknown siblings who struggled against evil forces without knowing their true relationship.
GOOD AND EVIL
Many people believe that good and evil can be symbolically represented by the colors white and black. In Star Wars, the dark side was cloaked in black, while the good rebels wore white. On the island, the Senet playing pieces of Jacob and MIB's game were black and white. The stones representing them were black and white. There were clearly dark forces on the island such as the smoke monster and murderous Ben. But even the "good guys" had sinful or bloody confrontations. LOST was not truly a story of good vs. evil.
FAITH VS. SCIENCE
The Force was stated to be a measured, scientific energy that could be manipulated by a Jedi master's will. The unique island electromagnetic energy field had scientific explanation, but also tinted with a religious context of being the source of life, death and rebirth.
Han is comfortable in his dependence and use of technology to get himself out of trouble. Luke learns to rely on the faith and teachings of his masters to confront evil.
FATE VS. FREE WILL
Throughout his life, Luke was told about his destiny even though fate had him stuck on a water collection station with his aunt and uncle. Obi-Wan tells him that he must find his own path. Darth Vader and the Emperor tell him to fulfill his destiny by joining them on the dark side of the Force.
On the island, the candidates are sought to have "free will" to make their own decisions (something that neither Jacob or MIB could control). However, the candidates never truly had free will because they were brought to the island against their will; they were marked by fate to become pawns in the game of corruption manipulated by Jacob and MIB. Fate is something a person cannot control. In LOST, none of the main characters truly was in control of their lives.
DECEPTIONS
Obi-Wan conceals Darth Vader's secret identity from Luke. Both Darth Vader and the Emperor try to manipulate and deceive Luke into killing the other in order to gain power. Han spent his life conning people out of valuable property, such as Jabba.
The con artist theme was stronger in LOST. Cooper and Sawyer were both successful con artists. Ben manipulated and conned people with convincing lies. The main characters concealed their personal secrets in order to be perceived as different person.
LIFE AND DEATH
Star Wars was the epic struggle of life and death. The Empire was set to destroy any rebels. It was the battle between the Emperor and the few surviving Jedi masters. It came down to which group controlled the Force would win the war. It was a battle to remain alive.
On the island, whoever was the guardian apparently controlled the light source which somehow would allow the destruction of the smoke monster. However, we were led to believe that the "war" was between Ben's Others and Widmore's invasion force. But nothing came of that story arc except a rising toll of red shirts. LOST ended with a reunion of everyone in death.
HORRIBLE INJURIES
Star Wars had numerous body part destruction:
- C-3PO lost an arm falling off a cliff.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi severs an opponent's arm in the cantina at Mos Eisley.
- Darth Vader severs Luke's right hand in battle.
- Count Dooku severs Anakin Skywalker's right arm in battle.
- When bested by his former master, Darth Vader looses his left arm and both his legs.
From a writing standard, these themes are common in many dramas. The juxtaposition of two elements can create compelling situations and conflicts. Star Wars concluded each episode with a resolution to the main plot line while LOST ended each season with a cliffhanger and unanswered questions.
TPTB in the LOST universe were great admirers of the Star Wars trilogy. George Lucas had fashioned a complex Greek tragedy in a science fiction world of deep space. It is still debatable whether LOST ever reached that standard.
